1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to disposable litter boxes of the type used for cat litter boxes or for waste oil disposal boxes. Such litter boxes include a tray-like structure formed of a cardboard-like material in which an absorbent granular material is selectively placed. After the absorbent material has been utilized, the container is designed to be clasped around the absorbent material to encase the same for appropriate disposal. The present invention is more specifically directed to a foldable tray-like container for use as a disposable litter box which container may be folded upon itself in such a manner as to enclose the used absorbent material therein without any of the absorbent material or other waste therein passing or being forced from the container as it is folded. In addition, the container or box of the present invention is designed so that there are no openings which extend along the lines between the end and side walls of the box and the bottom of the box during use and thus, no liquid or particulate material may pass therebetween. The invention is also specifically directed to the concept of creating a blank cardboard-like or other material which may be selectively initially folded either by a manufacturer or consumer so as to assume the tray-like configuration of a litter box which litter box can be subsequently folded into an enclosed container for disposal of the material within the box.
2. History of the Art
Disposable litter boxes or containers of the type to which the present invention is generally directed have found their greatest utility in the sanitary handling and care of household pets. Particularly, such disposable containers have been primarily used as disposable litter boxes which facilitate the sanitary disposal of cat waste without requiring the pet owner to transfer or handle the waste by transferring it from a reusable container to some type of disposable receptacle.
To further facilitate consumer acceptance of the concept of disposable litter boxes, many disposable litter boxes have been designed to be initially retailed containing the absorbent material which is to be place therein. In this manner, the disposable box and litter material is purchased by the consumer as a unit, utilized as a unit and thereafter disposed of as a unit. Such simplistic handling not only offers advantages to people in home environments but also makes it possible to utilize such disposable containers when traveling with pets.
In more recent years, the same general concept has been utilized with the disposal of waste oil which has been drained from an automobile or similar type vehicle. When changing automobile oil, the old oil must be drained from the engine block and thereafter placed in some type of containers for subsequent disposal. Such an operation has historically been somewhat messy. It has therefore been proposed to utilize an absorbent granular material which is contained in a disposable tray which may be placed underneath the vehicle to receive the motor oil being drained therefrom. In this manner, once the oil is drained from the vehicle, the disposable container is closed and subsequently discarded in a more conventional waste receptacle with the liquid being retained in the absorbent material.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,154,052 to Sweeney, an early form of disposable litter tray or box is disclosed wherein the absorbent material used with the tray is prepackaged in a box form with the tray so that upon opening of the box, the absorbent material may be spread and used as a litter box for pets in the conventional manner. After the absorbent material has been utilized, the patent discloses that the tray receptacle may be folded so as to house the waste absorbent material therein. The patent also discloses the concept of coating the box or tray structure with a moisture barrier material to prevent the cardboard or other paper-like material from which the product is made from becoming dampened or deteriorated by exposure to liquids associated with the use of the box.
Unfortunately, the container disclosed in the Sweeney patent, has been found to be not entirely satisfactory for consumer use. Specifically, structures such as that disclosed in the Sweeney patent, are designed in such a manner that it is possible for the litter material, and therefore, the waste material which is being absorbed by the litter to escape or pass through various points between the sides, ends and bottom walls of the tray when the tray is in use. Particularly, the structures of many prior art disposable pet litter boxes are such that the granular absorbent litter material may pass through openings formed at the corners of the boxes or between seams formed on the sides or end walls of the boxes. Such receptacles permit contaminated waste absorbent material to escape from the box requiring further clean-up by the consumer. In addition to the foregoing, although the patent to Sweeney discloses that the container may be closed upon itself in order to house the used absorbent material and other wastes therein, in actual practice, the container binds upon itself or upon the waste material which is housed therein during the closing process. The side walls do not permit a complete closure of the box. With the Sweeney structure, it is necessary to insert a tool or other instrument within the box during the closing process in order to move the litter or other absorbent material away from the collapsing side walls thereof so that the side walls may be completely folded as indicated in the patent. Such handling of the waste material within the box during the closing process is completely undesirable and presents an unsanitary situation which is unacceptable to the consumer.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,160 to Feitelson, another disposable cat litter box is disclosed which utilizes a more complicated assembling and folding structure for the disposable container. The more complicated the assembly of the box, the less desirable the box is to a consumer. In addition, with the structure disclosed in Feitelson, the collapsing of the container requires manual manipulation of portions of the container adjacent the contaminated absorbent material or litter contained therein. Many consumers will not want to adjust the side walls of the box in order to collapse the box if they have to insert their hands within the interior of the container where the container has been subject to contamination.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,901 to Zeitter, another type of foldable cat litter box is disclosed wherein the absorbent material is originally packaged with the disposable tray. In the structure disclosed, however, once the box has been opened by removing the central tear strip therefrom, the box cannot be adequately folded upon itself in such a manner as to tightly enclose the materials which have been used and have become contaminated.
Other types of prior art disposable cat litter boxes which are constructed to be utilized in a tray-like configuration and then folded for disposal are also specifically designed to be utilized with a separate liner which is inserted in the tray before any absorbent material is introduced therein. The added requirement for a separate liner not only complicates the overall structure but requires the consumer to handle the different materials in a manner which can create spillage relative to the litter tray. An example of a disposable container having a separate liner is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,155 to Smith.
Additional examples of the prior art disposable litter boxes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,581,975 to Riccio; 3,743,170 to Riccio; 4,305,544 to Noonan; 4,441,451 to Neal and 4,553,671 to Cheesman.